This book is about the currently evolving global standardization of
corporate workplace models and the challenges this poses for their
implementation in a local context.
In recent years, multinational corporations were increasingly engaged in
the development of standardized global workplace models. For their
implementation and feasibility, it is decisive as how these standards
fit the diverse regional workplace cultures. This topic was pursued in
the course of a research project, comparing established workplaces in
Germany, USA and Japan against global workplace standards of
multinational corporations.
The analysis confirmed the expected differences among local workplaces
and on the other hand a predominant mainstream among global corporate
workplace standards. Conspicuous however, are the fundamental
differences between local models and corporate standards. For the
implementation of global standards in local context, this implies
multiple challenges on cultural, organizational and spatial level. The
analysis findings provide information for assessing current projects and
pinpointing optimization measures. The analysis framework further
provides a tool to uncover and assess needs and restrictions for the
development of future workplace models.